


No One Left to Hear

by Veilrony



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: BloodClan wins, Canon Divergence, Castamere AU, Dark as all hell, Gen, Major Character Death is there for a reason, TigerClan wins, everyone dies basically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-01-14 19:50:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18483196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veilrony/pseuds/Veilrony
Summary: Firestar's last-ditch effort to save his Clan failed.Tiger and Blood rule the forest now, and will use every last of their effort to make sure that the fire that was supposed to save the Clans gets put out.





	1. Chapter 1

The tension around Fourtrees was palpable. Firestar’s breath was visible in the freezing air. The snow fell and covered the paws of all the cats waiting. And there was that black cat. A smaller version of Firestar, pitch black like his own silhouette. A kittypet, but it wasn’t one that Firestar had ever expected to see in his life. There were… teeth studding his collar? He didn’t know.

Tigerstar dwarfed him, looking down at the clans with his own amber eyes. He sneered like he’d won. And maybe he had…

The other kittypets were fanned around TigerClan, rows and rows of them. The very sight of them were intimidating, and maybe there were more in those ranks of stinking kittypets than the entire forest. He looked back at his own warriors, a shock of fear running through his pelt. They wouldn’t be a match for these warriors.

“So, Tigerstar,” Firestar said as he turned back to him. “Would you mind telling us who your new cats are?” For one who hated kittypets so much, there were a lot around him. He wondered what he’d do to those kittypets once he was finished with LionClan.

“This is BloodClan,” Tigerstar replied back, just as evenly. “They’re from the Twolegplace and are here to help persuade you to join me. StarClan knows you don’t have the sense to join on your own.”

Firestar took in the words, keeping his breathing steady. Every breath smelled more and more familiar, until he realized this was the scent of the rogues that were on their territory the day Thornclaw was made a warrior. Probably to scout what Tigerstar had offered them, like he’d counted the kits before they were born…

They wouldn’t be content here, and Tigerstar wasn’t a cat of his word… He needed to use that to do some persuading of his own.

“See, Firestar?” Tigerstar said with a growl in his voice. “With this, we have more powerful than even StarClan, as from four clans in the forest there are two. TigerClan and BloodClan will rule together.” To that, the black cat’s ear twitched.

Firestar realized Tigerstar’s ambitions now ruled him far more than they ever could have while he was a warrior, deputy, or even as the leader of ShadowClan. There was no reasoning with him anymore. But maybe with BloodClan, he could…

“No, Tigerstar.” Firestar finally started to speak quietly. “If you want to fight, let us fight. StarClan will shine on who’s right in the end.”

To that, Tigerstar laughed. It was quiet, deep. Then it raised in volume until he was almost howling at the moonless sky. Then again it quieted. He took a deep breath, a grin still on his sharp teeth. Then, he said. “I was hoping you’d see our strength and choose your lives over your Clan. But here we are…”

He saw Tigerstar’s paw raise and his fur stood on end. Had he made a mistake? With a split second glance behind him, he saw the rest of LionClan enter a battle stance. “Just remember that it was you who caused all this, Firestar. When your cats are dying around you, remember it was all your call.” He threw his paw down to the rock and scratched the stone to produce an ear-piercing shriek. “BloodClan, attack!”

In a moment of shock, Firestar couldn’t do anything. When he regained his senses, he realized nothing had happened. The black cat shook his head slowly, then looked up at Tigerstar. Nothing was going to happen, he realized, unless that black cat commanded. And from the hatred in the dark tabby’s eyes, it was _not_ what Tigerstar had wanted.

“Attack, I order you!”

“No,” was the swift reply. “I am Scourge of BloodClan. My cats are not yours to command, Tigerstar. They’ll attack when _I_ say, and not before.”

Firestar saw his opportunity to sway BloodClan away from Tigerstar. His one hope at getting out of this. He padded forward, shaking snow off his pelt as he stood at the base of the stone where Scourge and Tigerstar were. The black cat twisted towards Firestar, ignoring Tigerstar as he blinked down at him curiously.

He could hear whispers from among his own cats, but he knew to stand his ground. “I am Firestar of LionClan, but formerly of ThunderClan,” he said, aware of the fear cracking his voice. He took a deep breath and steadied it. The future of the Clans rested on Firestar’s shoulders in this moment.

“I wish I could say you were welcome in this forest, but I don’t wish to lie and I know you wouldn’t believe me. Unlike your supposed ally here, I am a cat of honour. If you believe anything of what he said to you, then I’m sorry to say you’re mistaken.” Another deep breath. He noticed _exactly_ how small the black cat was compared to him. His claws were massive for his size, but he was a scrawny kittypet… maybe he could fight his way out of this one.

“Tigerstar said he had enemies in the forest,” Scourge said. “How can I trust _you_?”

Firestar saw his chance. From there, he started with “Cats of all Clans, and especially BloodClan. You have no need to believe or disbelieve me, as Tigerstar’s crimes speak for themselves.” He detailed every one of Tigerstar’s criminal acts, until the image of the strong, albeit ambitious warrior, was shattered in the mind’s eye of every cat from the Clans. This was a cat whose every action defied StarClan, and even for those who didn’t believe in StarClan, the very morality every cat had born within them. Even Leopardstar and Blackfoot looked horrified.

The black cat looked fazed, but it was hard to tell with a face so dark you couldn’t see his expressions. Finally, he spoke. “Tigerstar told me what he planned to do with the dogs, but he didn’t tell me he failed.” The narrow-eyed glance at Tigerstar conveyed he was disappointed… this wasn’t a cat with morality, Firestar realized.

“Tigerstar is not a cat of his word,” the orange tom said finally. “He never will be, but again… I am.” He looked up at Scourge. “I can make you a better offer, and only one cat will have to die.”

To that, Scourge’s eyes brightened.

“There is no better offer,” Tigerstar said. “BloodClan needs to attack now!”

“No!” Firestar said, too fast. “Scourge, there doesn’t need to be a battle.”

_Forgive me,_ he whispered to himself. “If you beat me in a duel, then my cats will surrender. You can have the forest.”

Then, Tigerstar shut up. “You’re a fool, Firestar,” he hissed.

“So I am,” he replied, now filled with an eerie calm as he looked up at Scourge. The murmurs from his own clan grew louder, but this is what he had to do. There was a chance he could lose, but he had multiple lives, something Scourge clearly didn’t have. Maybe he’d be caught off guard just enough that he could win the battle.

He hoped the Clans understood it.

“An appealing offer, for sure,” Scourge said quietly. He looked up at Tigerstar, who nodded.

Clearly one of these two cats would die, and Tigerstar was fine with it being either of them. The thought was no comfort to Firestar.

“I accept.” He crawled down the stone, and Firestar realized those massive claws were in fact dogs’ teeth, filed down to a point as sharp as glass.

Cats backed away until there was a clearing large enough for the battle. As snow frosted Scourge’s fur, the small cat raised his head. “Let’s begin.”


	2. Chapter 2

The duel started within seconds. Firestar made the first move, leaping into the air. He touched down to the ground in front of Scourge. Firestar knew he had nine lives, but he couldn’t be reckless.

His life was a last-resort. As far as he could see, this cat was small. He was a hungry kittypet, and shouldn’t be a battle.

Before he could swipe, Scourge danced out of the way. His eyes narrowed and he jumped behind Firestar. Firestar gyro’d back to meet Scourge, claws bared. He landed a blow and Scourge yowled, before landing another one on Firestar. His face seared with pain and blood filled his right eye.

He couldn’t see, and he threw another mad claw out. It glanced against Scourge’s black fur, but didn’t tear flesh.

By the time Firestar blinked the blood from his eye, he saw Scourge crouched in front of him. When Scourge lunged, Firestar fell out of the way. Scourge fell to the ground with a hiss.

His perfect opportunity to get at the smaller cat. Instinctively, he prepared to bite down on his neck. Then, Scourge rolled over with a growl. He tried getting to his paws, and Firestar prepared to leap.

Before he could land a blow, Scourge got into position. He called off his attack, in case Scourge had something hidden in his mind. They circled, their steps in perfect time. Scourge was almost a Doppelganger of the ThunderClan leader. A smaller shadow with the same eyes, shape, and face. It scared Firestar.

Firestar faked a blow, and after the feint leapt for Scourge. The tom regained his senses, ducking down. 

Before Firestar hit the snow, a searing pain shot through his chest. He gasped reflexively, before he tumbled to the ground. He skidded, but he couldn’t get up. He gasped again, trying to feel anything. A yowl rose up from his own cats.

 He became aware of his heart beat. Warmth in his ribs, warmth on the snow. His vision danced with black spots. Stars started to appear in the sky. Then, they condensed into a silhouette.

Was this death?

A starry nose touched Firestar’s own, then everything faded to darkness.

 ***

 Firestar woke up beneath a sky full of stars. The grass was lush but white, and the sound of a stream burbled in the distance. This wasn’t Fourtrees… StarClan? Firestar shot upwards, and as soon as the air touched his stomach it felt like ice. His very heart felt cold… split open? The thought terrified him, and he instinctively looked down as though he could see it. Instead of seeing any wounds, the ground gave way to look like a pond’s shining surface.

Fourtrees was visible, with all the cats in the forest gathered there. The battle looked so far away. He felt so distant from his body, from… himself.

He realized he was alone in StarClan’s hunting grounds, and remembered exactly what happened when he’d died. He needed to get back down there as soon as possible.

When he thought it, the stars condensed yet again. Smoke pooled at his feet and from the wisps came a stout cat with thick, messy fur. Her golden eyes had no shine and she looked at Firestar grimly. “Quite a first death,” she said after a second.

“What happened?” he asked. Then, he looked down and saw the blood staining the snow. There was a drip, and it flowed between the grass to stain his paw. His entire underside had been cut open… “Oh no…”

This wound couldn’t be too much for StarClan, there was no way. “Yellowfang, can you even heal this?”

“Of course,” was the quick reply. There was no purr in her voice as she stepped closer to him. Firestar bowed his head and Yellowfang rested her nose on it. There was warmth again in Firestar’s chest as the ice melted. He could feel blood pumping through him as his stomach sewed itself together. He never thought he could feel healing, but it was a pleasant sensation.

As air returned to his lungs he gasped instinctively. The blood filled his system and he could feel it dance through his veins.

Yellowfang watched with no surprise, but then she looked down. The battle hadn’t moved, and if Firestar could hear, he wanted to know if his cats’ trust in his lives were waning. Did Cloudtail think he was dead?

“They’re waiting, you know,” Yellowfang quipped. “You can go at any time.” Her curly-furred tail lashed as she stepped away.

 “Thank you, Yellowfang,” he responded. His orange fur prickled knowing he would be thrown back into the battle at any second. “I’ll see you another time.”

“And I’ll see you too. Now go win this one.”

And with that, he prepared to leave StarClan’s hunting grounds. He could feel himself fading away as his heartbeat grew louder in his ears. Life began to fill his body.

Then, it faded away, and a spike of ice pierced through his body. He keeled over with a breathless gasp. “Yellowfang?” he asked, eyes wide.

He whipped his head up to look her in the eyes. Panic welled in his stomach, but instead of flowing through his veins it stayed still. “Yellowfang!”

Yellowfang herself had wide eyes. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

The ice crept further. Through his face, down his neck… something was very wrong. “I can’t be dead again, can I?”

Then, the smoke that summoned Yellowfang engulfed the both of them. When it faded, they were standing at Fourtrees. LionClan was stock-still. Silent. 

He turned to Yellowfang, trying to locate Scourge on the battlefield. He tried to take a step, but he was still very much dead… 

Then, he saw her gasp. Firestar twisted to finally see his darker doppelgänger. His claws were stained red and it trailed up his forelegs. His chest was also covered in blood.

The ice that had chilled Firestar’s throat grew colder. It was enough that Firestar thought he would scream. The leafbare wind around Fourtrees filled him, chilling him more than any other wind had.

Then he saw Scourge’s face and he couldn’t move.

The BloodClan leader was holding FIrestar’s head.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Tigerstar watched, frozen himself at the sight of Scourge padding towards him. He'd always wanted Firestar to be _his_ kill, his own bounty and prize for all the hardships he’d endured from the brat’s nosy gaze. “The kittypet,” he whispered, awestruck. His claws dug in and out of the near-solid ground, leaving perfect clawmarks.

The black cat in front of him stopped before dropping his head at Tigerstar’s throat. “You wanted this, right?” His voice was so calm, like he _didn’t_ just do that. This was a cat that was capable of more cruelty than Tigerstar had ever even thought about committing. And he did it with such little care. A cat that he wanted on his side, before he himself shared the same fate.

“Yes,” he said, still trying to catch his breath. He turned back to TigerClan, and then looked at LionClan.

“Well, there we go. You’ve got half the forest, I’ve got the other half, tell me when you get rid of all…” Scourge dismissively tipped his head to the LionClan cats, ready to turn tail and run. “Them.”

Tigerstar gulped, before sharpening his claws and looking at the other cats, then back at Scourge. He would die if he didn’t listen. “Yes, Scourge. Like the deal.”

To that, he flashed a sharp grin with his tiny pointed teeth. “Exactly! Just like the deal.” He laughed a little beneath his breath before kicking Firestar’s head away from them, and leaving another gash in him with just that small flick of his paw. “BloodClan, we head home!” He trotted over a root, before flicking his white-tipped tail and disappearing into a fog that was growing all around them.

Only when the final BloodClan cat disappeared into the fog did the realizations set in. Tigerstar had _won._ And with that realization, LionClan’s noise began to grow.

“Firestar doomed us!” Mudclaw, a WindClan cat roared. “We’re not just going to join you because he died a stupid death!”

 _Was that so?_ “Really, Mudclaw?” he said, gaining his breath back from the shock of what had just happened. Snow began to fall in front of his face, blending with Firestar’s blood on the ground in front of and around them. “You’ve got a few choices then! TigerClan can kill you, Scourge can kill you along with the rest of BloodClan, _or_ you can let Tallstar make the choice. And hopefully he won’t doom your entire Clan.”

With that, Mudclaw was silent.

Tallstar stepped to the front of the LionClan cats, eyes wide and pelt shaking. “Do you realize what you’ve done?” he asked, anger seething on his voice. “Do you realize all the codes you’ve broken, the death you are going to cause to this forest?” He was at a dull roar, and Tigerstar _almost_ felt the shame burning in his pelt at the elder cat’s words.

“It’s done now, Tallstar. The Clans will be better this way.”

To that, Tallstar looked around. “Count the trees around these stones, Tigerstar!” Four. “That’s how many clans there will always be. To have just TigerClan and BloodClan goes against the ways of these woods.” Tigerstar had heard this often, from this leader, Firestar, and even Bluestar. “Now you’re going to kill us all—“

“Tallstar, would you like your Clan to die or not?” he interrupted, tiring of the older cat’s speech. “Because that’s all you have a choice in right now.”

That shut him up. He pinned his massive ears back and curled his long muzzle, before looking back at his clan. He shook, either with rage or fear, but TIgerstar truly didn’t care. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“I…” Tallstar shut his eyes, turning, and then when he opened his eyes they were settled on Firestar’s head. “I don’t have a choice, do I…”

“No.” Tigerstar could feel a chilling wind blow through even his thick fur. “Now come on!” He growled, trying to emphasize his point. “TigerClan’s going to freeze out here.”

“I hope you do!” he hissed, before shutting his mind and shaking his head. “But we’ll join you. Firestar made a deal.”

“Perfect,” Tigerstar said, joy rising in his throat. “You were always the most sensible leader.” Then, he stood up tall, pushing past Tallstar. He rested his paw on Firestar’s head, digging long claws into its fur. “LionClan, you will meet here tomorrow at sunhigh. Take your kits, take your prey, leave nothing in your camps. We will take you to TigerClan’s camp, and Scourge will take your part of the territory, do you understand?”

To that, there were fearful nods from a few. “You’re a _coward_ ,” he heard Mudclaw growl. He ignored it, before turning to Tallstar. “Tallstar, you’ll help them prepare. Understood?”

Tallstar nodded, absolutely crestfallen. His head hanging, he made his way back to the mass of cats.

“And if I find any cats who try to hide from us, they’ll be put to death immediately.” With that, Tigerstar himself turned to his clan. “TigerClan, follow me.”

The cats around him nodded, Blackfoot and Darkstripe falling into line beside him. He was glad that he left Tawnypaw at camp. To explain this would break her heart. She was just too soft… and so was Bramblepaw, but eventually they’d both see that this was the best thing for them. The Clans would now live in abundance without fighting.

But then… BloodClan _did_ pose a threat. He sucked in a deep breath, exhaling a massive cloud of fog. He’d have to deal with them somehow. Maybe another treaty, but maybe Tigerstar would just have to kill Scourge before Scourge killed him. “Boulder,” he barked, as the noise of his clan grew louder.

“Sir?” He whipped his head up, glaring with bright yellow eyes. “What do you need?”

“Keep an eye on BloodClan tonight,” he growled. “Make sure they’re not… assembling.”

“Of course, sir,” he mumbled, before diverging from the crowd.

Tigerstar didn’t utter a thanks as he kept plodding through the snow. He needed to make sure his new future was secure. And even though the Clans were out of the way, BloodClan — full of kittypets as they were — would probably get bored of Tigerstar soon enough. He heaved another sigh, and now his foggy breath mingled with the rest of it around him. He looked up, and realized that it was so thick that the sun was blocked out.

They were away from the stars’ prying eyes… finally.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Tallstar got to ThunderClan camp, chaos had erupted. Cinderpelt approached him at the speed of a cheetah. “What happened out there?” she hissed, before looking back at the clan in a fury.

“We lost,” he said, the life fading away from his voice. “There wasn’t anything I could do.”

“Well, what now?” She pointed her tail behind her. “Are we just going to die? Where’s Firestar, nobody’s answering my questions about him!”

Firestar. Tallstar felt a blow to his heart at the sound of his name. He’d tried to repress the images flashing in his mind. The sinew, the blood, the exposed bone. The body, the head, the lifeless emerald eyes looking into all of Tallstar’s nine lives. Telling him to keep his Clan safe, like Tallstar couldn’t do for him.

“Tallstar!”

“Tigerstar brought reinforcements,” he hissed. “A cat named Scourge. Tiny, pure black, he shouldn’t have been able to do _that_.”

“What’s _that_?”

“He took Firestar’s head clean off his body!” Tallstar screeched. “That cat’s a monster, Cinderpelt!” He couldn’t stop the images in his head. “Everyone’s going to die and there’s nothing we can do about it!”

To that, Cinderpelt batted his face. Her eyes were glassy with tears. “Don’t say that,” she said. “That can’t be true.” The noise around them was deafening, and Tallstar realized that he’d caused even more of a panic than what was already happening. “He would have come back.”

“He _didn’t_ though. He didn’t.” His chest was tight, then his shoulders grew heavy. He was all ThunderClan had now that Firestar had been taken from them. “StarClan’s _gone_.” This he said so quietly, only Cinderpelt could hear it. He looked into Cinderpelt’s deep blue eyes.

Then, a pair of fur-and-bones apprentices walked towards Cinderpelt. The half-clan kits, Featherpaw and Stormpaw. They looked so broken already, and then behind them came Greystripe. His big yellow eyes looked up at Tallstar like he was the last thing keeping the grey tom in this forest.

“We can leave, right?” Featherpaw asked. “We’ve left before, we should just run.”

“I don’t know if that would…” Tallstar stopped midsentence. He couldn’t destroy these kits’ hope, he just couldn’t. “I need a moment.” He pushed past Cinderpelt, Greystripe, and the apprentices, eyes settled on the Highrock. He pounced with legs strong from running, before clawing his way over its ledge. “Cats of ThunderClan!” he yowled. The noise died down slowly, before all of ThunderClan sat in front of him. Worry glimmered in all their eyes.

“We lost,” he began. “I’m sure many of you know that by now, though. We need to do our best to move forwards, and most importantly survive” He wasn’t sure that was even possible at this point.

Tigerstar would kill them all if they didn’t comply, but he knew that the life Tigerstar wanted was so against all of what the cats stood for, and nobody would want to follow a cat who was ok with another’s head being torn from his body. “We don’t have many options. We can either meet him at Fourtrees tomorrow at Sunhigh, we can die, or we can run.” Running didn’t guarantee they’d survive.

“Where’s Firestar?” Ashpaw asked, and Tallstar’s heart sank.

“Tigerstar brought reinforcements with him to the meeting,” he began, trying to stay calm much more than the initial screaming match with Cinderpelt. The Clan stood stock-silent, waiting for him to finish his sentence. “Firestar bravely tried to save us by attacking their leader, a tiny cat we all thought he could take named Scourge.” The images flashed through his mind again. “The cat killed him, then took his head, and he never came back.” All nine lives must have been used, he realized. He looked up at the fog, realizing that even though it was sunset he couldn’t see any faint stars in the sky. “He’s gone, and Firestar made a deal that we won’t fight back if he lost.”

“We need to fight!” a young apprentice with grey fur said. “We can’t just let them stomp all over us!” His blue eyes shone.

“It won’t happen!” he shouted. “That cat did what he did to Firestar, imagine what him and the hundreds of other cats he has will do to you. No,” he said, a note of finality falling from his lips.

“Well, I won’t join them,” Ashpaw said. “Not after what he did to Brindleface.”

Tallstar nodded grimly, remembering Firestar detail what happened to that apprentice’s mother. “I think we must leave the forest then,” Tallstar said.

To that, there was absolute silence, chilling Tallstar’s pelt. He stepped back, shutting his eyes. Then, he reopened them to look down at the ThunderClan cats who only had him left to lead them. Whitestorm would have to take over as their leader…

“Whitestorm,” Tallstar said at the thought. “You’re the new leader of the Clan, this is up to you.”

Whitestorm jerked his head up, but then nodded solemnly. He stepped up to the Highrock beside the WindClan leader. His eyes were dark, like the future inevitably would be. “We don’t have much time to decide on this,” Whitestorm said. “And Tigerstar wants us to meet him at sunhigh tomorrow for surrender. So we must either do that— something many of us refuse to do, including myself— or we must leave.”

Tallstar flicked his ears gratefully to the white cat. The other returned the gesture, then pointed his tail downwards. With that, Tallstar padded down the highrock and joined the ThunderClan warriors.

Some cats were discussing if it’d be a safe plan. What if they got caught? What if they were taken by monsters on the road? What if StarClan didn’t follow them? That last question chilled Tallstar to the marrow. They had already been so silent, and they shouldn’t have let this happen. He looked up at the sky, still clouded and foggy. Maybe StarClan had left already.

He kept the thought to himself, trying not to stir panic.

“We need to decide, whichever way, by tonight.” Whitestorm waited until the Clan quieted, then he scratched the stone. “Alright… Whoever chooses to stay, walk into the medicine den. Those who want to leave, the apprentice’s den.”

Tallstar watched in almost complete marvel as nearly the entirety of ThunderClan piled themselves into the apprentice’s den. Every single one of them saw the danger that staying meant, the immiment death it would bring.

“I see,” Tallstar said. He was now standing alone in the camp’s centre. Pawprints surrounded him to reveal the dirt beneath them, and he could see new flakes coming to cover the prints over. He realized he’d need to get WindClan to leave too. He nodded to himself solemnly, but he knew what he needed to do. If he brought only WindClan to fourtrees tomorrow, they’d all be slaughtered or worse. “I will tell WindClan to leave too.”

Whitestorm called the cats from the apprentice’s den, and Tallstar was brought back to the comforting warmth of cats. “We’ll leave immediately,” Whitestorm said. “Tallstar, I’m going to get my lives at Highstones tonight. Bring WindClan there, and we’ll leave as soon as I have my lives.”

Tallstar would normally have felt indignant that he was being ordered around, but right now wasn’t the time for foolish pride. “I’ll do my best,” he said with a tilt of his head.

“Good. Clan meeting dismissed.” Then, Whitestorm lashed his tail and started towards the fresh kill pile. As Tallstar left the camp as swiftly as he could, he heard Whitestorm call for Cinderpelt.

He padded through the underbrush, grass higher than even his long tail. The forest was unfamiliar, but he could smell WindClan’s territory markings from half the land away.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of brown tabby fur. His pelt bristled immediately at the sight of it, but then he saw the soft, unscarred face. “Bramblepaw?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah.. it’s not Tigerstar.” He said the last word bitterly, turning his head away. “Can I follow you to fourtrees?” he asked after a second. “There’s someone I want to say goodbye to.”

His sister... of course. He felt a pang of sympathy. “Yes. Come along now.” He wondered if Bramblepaw truthfully wanted to go and live with his father, but the worry in the tom’s amber eyes told him otherwise.

“Thank you, Tallstar... I’m sorry this happened.”

“Why would you be sorry?” He blinked, turning back to the apprentice passing dutifully behind.

“Because Tigerstar—“

“You’re not your father,” Tallstar chided. “Remember that, Bramblepaw. And never let yourself become him.”

“Oh... ok.” He nodded, and the two cats continued along, until Bramblestar diverged near fourtrees. When Tallstar looked back, Bramblepaw looked anxious.

He hoped the young tom would be ok.


End file.
